บท 12: Christmas Reflections
"Time and time again, whenever I arrive at this shoreline, I'm always amazed by how little the scenery changes: the vast turquoise ocean adorned with a small handful of white speckles—the little sailboats—scattered along the horizon…" he gave a soft throaty chuckle as he continued to stare at the sea; his back facing her. "And the gulls… don't they always seem to be crying for food?"
At this, he turned and she was met with the full force of his light blue eyes that sparkled mischievously behind his half-moon spectacles. This all felt so surreal. His eyes shone playfully as he reached out with an old, wizened hand to pet Prince, who surprisingly allowed him to do so.
He smiled as Prince purred in response. "And what's the name of this little one?" he asked, focusing his attention back on her.
"Prince," she blurted out, "and I'm Cyrna." An awkward pause. "Um. Cyrna Raine."
It was a poor introduction, but Dumbledore didn't seem to mind too much. He crouched down so that his twinkling eyes were now level with her own as he introduced himself. "Albus Dumbledore—" then in a playful, secretive whisper—"your future headmaster at Hogwarts." He winked mischievously at her before straightening up and heading towards the stone-paved path that lead up to the Flamel Mansion. After a few seconds of gaping at the departing figure, Cyrna hurried, as fast as she could while carrying a cat, to the old wizard.
"You think I'll get into Hogwarts?" Cyrna asked between breaths as she ran to him.
His chuckle was soft as he laid his weathered hand on her head in a firm touch. "Always remember that magic is neither good nor evil. It is our choices that make it Light or Dark. With great magic comes great responsibility—something I can only hope that you'll never forget."
Cyrna gave a hesitant nod to his non sequitur.
The rest of the climb was done in silence, if one ignored Dumbledore's jovial humming. And before she knew it, they were back at the mansion. The large oak doors opened, revealing Nicolas Flamel. Upon seeing his guest, his eyes lit up with excitement and a genuine smile appeared on his face.
"Albus! It's been too long."
"Nicolas, my friend. Tell me, have you discovered any new sweets in the last fifty years?"
With the greetings out of the way, Nicolas stepped aside, allowing entry into the mansion. Once Dumbledore had passed, his eyes fell on Cyrna. Then, looking at Prince who was now a dusty brown, his lips twitched slightly in amusement before it settled back into the familiar smirk that he bestowed upon her daily in the recent weeks. She replied, as she always did, with an innocent cock of her head.
Dumbledore was gone when Cyrna had finally finished bathing her cat. And despite his absence, his presence was not forgotten. There was a tension that now hung in the air, one that previously had not existed.
She could guess the purpose of his visit.
.....
December 26th, 1990
Flamel's Christmas gift to her was a minuscule vial, just slightly taller than her pinkie. It sat on her desk, filled to the brim with a scarlet liquid that seemed to glow and pulse with warmth—almost like a heartbeat.
"To cheat death once. Use wisely. – Flamels"
The note attached was simple; it was such a contrast to the icy cold that rushed through her. She knew this was coming. Had planned for it to happen. She should be happy.
"Nicolas," Cyrna said when they met for her lessons. "Thank you for the present."
He grumbled and muttered something about insolent brats. Something twinged inside her as he did so. Would she miss him when he was gone?
Settled in a comfy armchair, Cyrna studied the newest problem that Nicolas had given her to solve. Apparently, it was so easy that even an idiot could do it—that it was expected of a first-year to be able to solve something as simple as this. Nicolas grossly overestimated idiocy, in her humble opinion.
The bite of a magical creature may leave behind a magical residue in the wound. It is because of this that sometimes, a simple charm may be insufficient in fully healing the wound. But potions, unlike charms, when ingested can interact directly with the patient's bloodstream to counter the magical residue. Propose a protocol to create a potion that can do this.
There were certainly several potions that had healing and wound-cleaning effects. But without something to test on, she wasn't sure the size of effect they would have on the bite of a magical creature. She would have to find research papers from other potioneers who had tested this and read their results. So much work. She sighed and glared at Nicolas.
"Remember," he clicked his tongue when he felt her stare. "This is first-year material." The smug lilt in his sing-song voice did not help abate her irritation.
First-year material my ass.
Cyrna spent most of her day quietly working away in the potions lab with Nicolas. Him brewing and snickering occasionally, while she was focused on the puzzle so that he would have no chance to tease her on this.
During dinner, Perenelle announced with a smile too wide that she would start practical training. Nicolas stared at his wife for a moment before a smirk appeared on his face.
Oh Merlin. Her life was going to be miserable.
....
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